Tuesday, September 20, 2016

Return to early church practice - elect our bishops

And evidently, the role of Apostolic Nuncios (the ones who usually
recommend candidates for bishops in various dioceses) was discussed
extensively.

What was apparently missing from the discussion was the ancient form
of selecting bishops, highly relevant in today's world.

It's a method
used today -- with some variations -- by the Episcopal, Lutheran and
Methodist churches.

It was also a method used in the first centuries of
the Christian church (before any denominations), and it's a method that
should resonate in the modern world.

It's called election. In other words, why not devise a system to elect
bishops?

Let the people of a diocese choose their bishop(s).

Now, this
would require some process for nominations, probably presentations by
the candidates either in a public forum or at least in writing, and
formal voting.

Eligibility for voting ought to include both women and
men in good standing in a given diocese ... probably 18 years of age or
older, as in our secular election system.

Or, if one wanted to dilute
the democratic process a bit, election might be done by lay delegates
who are elected by parishioners.

In any event, this would revive the system for bishop selection that predominated in the earliest centuries of the church.

An early history of this practice by Juicio Brennan
says that, "In these early centuries, the nominations and elections of
bishops were done solely by a popular vote of all the faithful. St.
Cyprian believed elections prevented unworthy persons from becoming
bishops."

He also notes that "by the middle of the third century ...
evidence shows that women were beginning to be excluded from the
voting." Obviously, that would be unacceptable today.

Religious communities of women (and most men's communities as well)
elect their leaders.

So it's way past time to think about democratic
processes in our church at large.